Coming soon — full details and the call for ideas will be published here in due course.

Science Verification (SV) is run by the SKAO, with a limited number of SV projects supported on SRCNet resources. The ukSRC will extend this by supporting additional UK-led SV projects on our national resources, outside of the SRCNet allocation — so that more UK-affiliated teams can carry out verification work even where SRCNet capacity is full.

What is science verification?

Science Verification tests specific observing modes and capabilities of the telescopes — for example integration times, numbers of beams, and other instrument configurations — ahead of full science operations. SKAO plans for SV targets and Observatory-led data products will feed into this process.

The SKAO science verification process

SV itself is run by the SKAO and is expected to follow roughly this timeline ahead of observations:

  1. Call for ideas (~6 months before) — a call issued to the community for verification ideas that test specific modes and capabilities. Expected to be open for around two months.
  2. Idea submission (~6–4 months before) — submit a verification idea through the SV idea submission tool, including a title, the mode/capability to be tested, a summary of the idea and verification opportunities, and the target.
  3. Idea assessment (~4 months before) — a light-touch internal appraisal producing a pool of well-suited, prioritised targets and ideas. Breadth of science coverage will be considered to ensure diverse user engagement.
  4. Announcement of SV target set (~3 months before) — SV targets are announced, including Observatory-led data product plans.
  5. Call for SRCNet resource requests (~2.5 months before) — resource availability begins, building as we move through the SV stages. Requests will include a verification plan for the SV target, the intention to provide feedback, and feasibility.

How ukSRC support will work

Alongside the SKAO process above, the ukSRC will run a coincident call for resources on our national facilities, timed to open with the SRCNet resource requests (step 5). Because SRCNet can only support a limited number of SV projects, this call lets us take on additional UK-led projects on national resources — giving UK teams a route to do their verification work even when SRCNet capacity is full.

  • National resource allocation — ukSRC compute for UK-led SV projects that sit outside the SRCNet allocation.
  • Advanced HPC training to support teams in carrying out their verification work.

Successful applicants will be expected to provide feedback and a verification plan for their SV target, mirroring the SRCNet process.

Who can apply

Participation in the ukSRC coincident call is restricted to PIs with UK affiliations.

Stay informed

To be notified when the call for ideas opens, follow the channels on our Join Us page or get in touch.